Originally Posted by Western Flyer

My last tour had a 28 Gatorskin on the rear and a 28 4-Season up front. The Gatorskin did alright as long as I kept the pressure up near the max. Anything less and it started getting squirly on downhill curves and uneven surfaces. It had three flats in 2200 km. One an industrial staple that no bike tire could stop. One a thin bit of casing wire as tires are want to pick up on main trucking routes. Perhaps some of the very heavy, very slow “plus” tires would resist puncture. The last was an 1 1/4 inch roofing nail that enter through the center of the tire and exited through the sidewall just above the rim. I’ve never had a tire that would be ridable after such sidewall damage. Also the Gatorskin was pretty “squared off” but still had a good number of miles left in it save for the sidewall damage.

Neither tire is suitable for much in the way of off road touring. Deep gravel would be hard to navigate and any slippery mud or clay would put you down in an instant. I carry a set of Conti AT Ride 40mm folding tires for dirt sections of touring. They’re something of a gravel grinder tire with excellent traction in slippery conditions and can be run at low pressure for greater traction, floatation and comfort.

But back to your question. I’ve been asking myself the same thing but going from a 28 to a 32. I considered the 32 Gatorskin but bought the 32 folding Hardshell for the rear just because it has so much sidewall protection with only a small weight penalty and it was at a super sale price. Haven’t toured with it yet so that’s all I can say .